2 Kings 6:31

2 Kings 6:31 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.
• New International Version (NIV)He said, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today!”
• English Standard Version (ESV)and he said, "May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then he said, “God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!”

Context of 2 Kings 6:31

29So we boiled my son and ate him, and the next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him.’ But she had hidden her son.” 30When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. And as he passed by on the wall, the people saw the sackcloth under his clothes next to his skin. He announced, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders through this day!” 32Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door to keep him out. Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?” 33While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him. And the king said, “This calamity is from the LORD. Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?”

2 Kings 6:31 word by word

וַיֹּ֕אמֶר כֹּֽה־יַעֲשֶׂה־לִּ֥י אֱלֹהִ֖ים וְכֹ֣ה יוֹסִ֑ף אִֽם־יַעֲמֹ֞ד רֹ֣אשׁ אֱלִישָׁ֧ע בֶּן־שָׁפָ֛ט עָלָ֖יו הַיּֽוֹם׃Read the interlinear

• He announcedאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• May Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• punishכֹּהkôh · thusH3541
• punishעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• severelyיָסַףyâsaph · to addH3254
• ifאִם'im · ifH518
• the headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
• of Elishaאֱלִישָׁע'ĕlîyshâ‛ · ElishaH477
• sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of Shaphatשָׁפָטshâphâţ · ShaphatH8202
• remainsעָמַד‛âmad · to stand: standH5975
• on his shouldersעַל‛al · uponH5921
• through this dayיוֹםyôm · day: todayH3117

Cross-references for 2 Kings 6:31

• Ruth 1:17Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”
• 1 Samuel 3:17“What was the message He gave you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God punish you, and ever so severely, if you hide from me anything He said to you.”
• 1 Samuel 14:44And Saul declared, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if you, Jonathan, do not surely die!”
• 1 Samuel 25:22May God punish David, and ever so severely, if I let one male belonging to Nabal survive until morning.”
• 2 Samuel 3:9May God punish Abner, and ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the LORD has sworn to him:
• 2 Samuel 19:13And say to Amasa, ‘Aren’t you my flesh and blood? May God punish me, and ever so severely, if from now on you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab!’”
• 1 Kings 2:23Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if Adonijah has not made this request at the expense of his life.
• 1 Kings 18:17When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”
• 1 Kings 19:2So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I have not made your life like the lives of those you killed!”
• 1 Kings 22:8The king of Israel answered, “There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king should not say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.
• Jeremiah 37:15The officials were angry with Jeremiah, and they beat him and placed him in jail in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for it had been made into a prison.
• Jeremiah 38:4Then the officials said to the king, “This man ought to die, for he is discouraging the warriors who remain in this city, as well as all the people, by speaking such words to them; this man is not seeking the well-being of these people, but their ruin.”
• John 11:50You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”
• Acts 23:12When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.

Commentaries on 2 Kings 6:31

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 31If the head of Elisha - shall stand on him - Either he attributed these calamities to the prophet, or else he thought he could remove them, and yet would not. The miserable king was driven to desperation.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 31God do so … - Jehoram uses almost the very words of his wicked mother, when she sought the life of Elijah (marginal reference). The head of Elisha - Beheading was not an ordinary Jewish punishment. The Law did not sanction it. But in Assyria, Babylonia, and generally through the East, it was the most conmon form of capital punishment. It is not quite clear why Elisha was to be punished. Perhaps Jehoram argued from his other miracles that he could give…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 24-33Verses 24-33 Learn to value plenty, and to be thankful for it; see how contemptible money is, when in time of famine it is so freely parted with for any thing that is eatable! The language of Jehoram to the woman may be the language of despair. See the word of God fulfilled; among the threatenings of God's judgments upon Israel for their sins, this was one, that they should eat the flesh of their own children, De 28:53-57. The truth and the awful justice…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 31the head of Elisha … on his shoulders: Decapitating enemies was common (2 Kings 10:6–8; 1 Samuel 17:51; 31:9; 2 Samuel 4:7–8, 12; 20:22; Matthew 14:11) in the ancient Near East. Joram thought the problem arose because Elisha had spared Ben-hadad’s troops earlier (2 Kings 6:22–23). Ben-hadad had also been pursuing Elisha (2 Kings 6:13), putting the entire city at risk.Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Kings 6:31

• Armies
• Elisha
• Israel
• Malice
• Oath
• Persecution
• Samaria
• Shaphat

In the dictionaries

• Elisha
• God
• Band
• Jehoram
• Send
• Benhadad
• Jehoahaz
• Kings, Books of
• Oath
• Shaphat

Commentaries on 2 Kings 6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings